What Does The Ashes Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott. Fitzgerald, the entire novel is centered in the 1920’s. This time period was known as the Roaring 20’s. This was an era right after World War I. It was a time of change. There were lots of new styles, morals, and dancing. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbols to illustrate an outlook on what the Roaring 20’s was like.
One symbol found in the novel is when Nick notices Gatsby staring at a green light. Tom states that Gatsby “stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and far as [he] was from him [he] could have sworn [Gatsby] was trembling” (24). Gatsby has always wanted Daisy. When he was younger, he was not able to financially support her. Now, he has built a fortunate lifestyle that he yearns
His religion maybe be an indication to what influenced him to add in the usage of billboard and the valley of ashes. In Robert C. Hauhart’s, "Religious Language And Symbolism In The Great Gatsby’s Valley Of Ashes," he discusses the religious symbols the Fitzgerald implements. Hauhart states: “Fitzgerald’s own religious background imbued his choice of the ashes for depicting desolation with a hint of religious symbolism. Ashes, for example, form an important part of one of Catholicism’s signal ceremonies—Ash Wednesday—inaugurating the penitential period of Lent and ultimately leading to Easter. At the same time, it is apparent that not all of the images and references arising from the valley of ashes are exclusively Catholic, since most Christian religions imbue ashes with significance.” The ashes in the valley are a symbol of the fallen sins committed by everyone. The ashes consists of sins such as partying, drinking, evilness, and everything that is considered immoral. In the beginning of the 1920’s everyone had a great time, showing hardly any remorse for their actions of wrongdoing. The ashes in the valley is a representation of how people gave up being acceptable in thy sight of God, in regards to how during lent, something is given up. The river that runs by the valley of ashes represents how the debt continues to flow into America during the stock market crash. People who once thought they were very fortunate became deprived in the end. The society as a whole collapsed in